On Monday, we watched some interesting video clips about different features of a castle. The children learnt lots of new vocabulary, such as; battlements, drawbridge, keep, moat, portcullis and bailey. The children were fascinated to learn why castles were built and about the special features that helped protect the people living inside.

During literacy this week, we read the book SHHH! by Sally Grindley and Peter Utton. This is a really fun, lift-the-flap book all about an adventure through a giant’s castle. The children loved the exciting story and so we decided to make our own version of the book. Everyone wrote their own page for the book and drew a character to accompany their sentences. Then the children then made a flap to hide their character under. Form 1’s story had dragons, panthers, a two-headed lion and plenty of giants in it! We enjoyed reading our book during snack time.

This week in maths we learnt all about odd and even numbers. Through sharing some magical beans between two hungry dragons, we learnt that not all amounts can be shared equally between 2. The children learnt that if there was an odd one left, that means the number is odd, if it can be shared equally, then the number is even. The children took it in turns to share different amounts between the dragons and we recorded if they were odd or even. We also looked at how this amount looked when placed on a tens frame, noticing that if there was an extra one the number would be odd. The children have also been learning how to count in 2s and this came in very handy when discussing odd and even numbers. It was noticed that we say all the even numbers when we count on in 2s.

As always, the children have loved being creative and this week they have enjoyed learning how to draw castles. By following a step by step video the children learnt how to create a simple picture of a castle which included turrets, battlements, a door and arrowslits. Using black pen, the children drew their own castles and then used pastels, pens or pencils to add colour. Some children loved learning how to draw castles so much that they continued to draw them all afternoon! They are now proudly displayed in our classroom.

Form 1 had great fun constructing their own castle using a cardboard box, lollysticks, card, art straws and other materials. Using their knowledge of features of a castle, the children were careful to include all the elements needed. With a little bit of help, the children created battlements, turrets, a moat, and a working portcullis and drawbridge. Working as a team, the children painted their castle grey, mixing black and white to create a stone effect. They used scissors to create arrow slits and windows. Remembering to only put the windows high up. Some children then wanted to add dragons and monsters to the castle, which really made it come to life!

The children were really challenged on Thursday as they were asked to write a fact about castles totally independently! Their excellent phonics skills came into play and they all attempted to write the sounds they could hear in words to create their sentences. All the children gave the activity a really good try and showed a lot of resilience and a can do attitude. Another wonderful week in Form 1!